County Executive Marc Elrich will ask the council to implement rent control and other measures in an attempt to make housing here more affordable. He made that statement during a WAMU radio event at the Silver Spring Civic Building Tuesday night.
Radio personality Kojo Nnamdi led a town hall titled, Unpacking Montgomery County’s Housing Debate. It featured Elrich and Councilmember Will Jawando, as well as officials and activists from the county and renter’s association.
The program centered around affordable housing, Thrive 2050 – the proposed framework for the county’s development future – rising rents and whether people of color were being pushed out of the county because of high home prices.
“I will never be able to afford a house here in Montgomery County. … It’s shameful that the largest county in the richest state in the country cannot afford for its educators to live in the community that they serve,” said Zully Pineda of Takoma Park.
The radio show, which will air Friday afternoon, was held amidst an ongoing crisis within the county planning department. Its chair, Casey Anderson, was pulled as a panelist the day of the show, following his admission he had a bar and drank with colleagues in his county office. On Wednesday, all five members of the planning board submitted their resignations after the County Council said they lost confidence in them.
Elrich said he would prefer that Thrive 2050 be postponed, and more community input be included.
“Obviously home prices are pretty much exploding,” Elrich said. His suggestions to make the county more affordable include rent stabilization, forcing developers to build on their land now rather than wait for a better market and ensuring no net decrease in affordable housing due to new construction.
Jawando countered, “I think Thrive will give us the tools in the toolbox” to create equitable, affordable housing. He called on the county to adopt rate stabilization and fund programs for down payments to homeowners.
Approximately 36% of county residents are renters.
Matt Losak, executive director of Renters Alliance told the panelists, “I define affordable housing as being able to afford your own home – as simple as that.”
"The problem with the assumptions about Thrive is there's no guarantee it's going to be affordable and there's no guarantee it's going to happen. … Thrive does not deal with reality. It's theoretical." — County Executive @Marc_Elrich #Kojo pic.twitter.com/xWu7AVezFP
— WAMU 88.5 (@wamu885) October 12, 2022
Kojo In Our Community: Unpacking Montgomery County’s Housing Debate is SOLD OUT! First in-person Kojo event in two years. Great folks here who support safe, affordable housing as a human right. #Kojo @LauraMoCoStew @JohnZittrauer @LizBrentMd @CarolynL222 @janelyonsraeder @adijnas pic.twitter.com/kglnOrtFhH
— Jill Ortman-Fouse (@Jill4allMoCo) October 11, 2022
Part of the Montgomery for All crew is sitting here together for the Kojo in the Community event about the housing crisis! Excited for the conversation. pic.twitter.com/fI762mMpYE
— Montgomery for All (@Montgomery4All) October 11, 2022
